The Later Years
by Defier of Reason
Summary: UPDATED.While Albus is brainy but with a major sweet-tooth,James is mischievous and hyper-active. As for Lily, she's both peppery and sweet. This is the story of the next generation, with typical days starting on May before James's first year at Hogwarts.
1. Introduction : A Stormy May Evening

Harry looked up. Great black clouds were moving quickly in the sky, shielding the sun from view completely, and throwing the dirt path in an eerie light. Branches were creaking and the tall grass blowing in the strong wind. Harry quickened his pace, shivered, and pulled his thick cloak more tightly around him, bending his head against the cold.  
He hoped to get home before the storm broke, as being caught in a storm like this (even if it was in May, which was unusual) wasn't recommended.

To top it all off, apparition had been suspended for the time being, due to severe splinching problems that were raining down upon the Apparition center, and whose reasons were yet unknown.

Smiling slightly at the thought of the happy family waiting for him at home, Harry turned a corner in the road, and saw the familiarly warm lights shining brightly in the darkness, coming from a cozy looking house surrounded by tall trees, a trail of smoke issuing from its chimney.

A bolt of lightning broke the darkness as Harry stepped over the threshold, closely followed by a loud rumble of thunder which was muffled quickly as he closed the front door with a snap.

Sighing in relief at the welcome shelter of the walls and the heat that had already started enveloping him, he removed his cloak and had barely hung it up when a small red-headed figure came hurtling through the corridor, and jumped in his arms with a force the took the wind out of him. Laughing, he squeezed his little daughter until she pulled back her head and looked up at him, grinning. He looked back, and saw a tiny replica of Ginny, with the same shiny bright red hair, twinkling brown eyes. In fact, Lily would have resembled Ginny exactly if not for the mouth and nose, which were more like Harry's. Harry gave Lily a big kiss on her forehead and put her back on the floor. She laughed as he tickled her, and ran back to the sitting room. Harry followed her, stopping in the doorway to survey the scene, happiness obvious on his face.

In a large room bathed by the flickering light of a merrily crackling fire , with cozy chintz armchairs and welcoming sofas scattered everywhere, the top of a red head was visible over the back of an armchair, which Harry headed for. However, no sooner had he started walking that he heard a loud 'weee!' from his right, looked around quickly and ducked.

'James!!' came Ginny's voice from the armchair Harry had been heading for. 'How many times have I told you, NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE!' standing up and turning around, she caught sight of Harry, who was getting up gingerly, fighting a smile. She gave him a kiss, muttering 'God, I hate this. I sound like my mother 30 years ago…'.

Meanwhile, a blue-eyed boy with very ruffled brown hair, dripping with water and mud, was dismounting from a broomstick, a mischievous grin playing at the corners of his mouth. 'Hi Dad!' James called happily.

'Nice welcome!' Harry retorted, grinning. 'Will getting practically beheaded become a routine when I come home now?'

James laughed. 'Yeah, sorry about that, I was flying when the storm broke. Lucky you put that penetrable charm on the back door, I had to get in quick or I would have been roasted alive!'

'Well that's not exactly what the charm was intended for!' Ginny said, trying to sound angry and failing. 'next time just get down from the broom as soon as you're in the house so we don't feel our safety depends on your flying abilities ok?'

James, already halfway up the stairs with his broomstick in his hand, turned his head and said 'sure mum!' in a tone that left them in no doubt that he hadn't heard a word of it.

'Well, no wonder he practically goes around with his broomstick stuck to his hand' Ginny said. 'look at the genes he inherited from both sides!'  
'Now it only remains to be seen if he is the second youngest seeker in a century, or if he goes more for beater or chaser.' Harry added. 

Ginny laughed, a little sadly. She still couldn't get over the fact of Fred dying, even after so long, and on some days every little thing reminded her of him. To her, it had always been Fred and George, and it was as if one half of the person was missing. Every time she saw George, she half expected to see Fred walking through the door after him, making everyone laugh about some thing or another. She had stopped crying about it after a while, but the memory was still painful, as she had always been attached to all her brothers, no matter how much they had teased her (and Fred and George had done so quite a lot).

'Where's Albus?' Harry asked, bringing her back to reality. 'He's the only one I haven't seen yet.'

'He's in his room' Ginny answered. 'Hermione lent him a book on basic charms and he's been poring over it for the last couple of hours.' She said, laughing. 'I must say, he does remind me of her on our first year, reading every book she could get her hands on. Well, actually she's still like that.'

Harry grinned. 'It does drive Ron crazy to have her answer 'what?' three times in a row when he talks to her while she's reading. I think Rose got that side of her. She's more of the serious type, like Albus. Speaking of which, I'll go up to check on him now.'

'OK' Ginny said, heading for the kitchen. 'Dinner in half an hour!'

'Don't worry; we wouldn't miss it for the world!' Harry called over his shoulder, mounting the stairs.

Hugo and Rose were Ron and Hermione's children. Rose was more mature and serious for her age, like Albus, and she too would be starting Hogwarts at the start of the school year after next. Hugo was almost 8 years old, like Lily, and as they both inherited more of the Weasley side, they got along very well with their good sense of humor and vivacious personalities. James, who would be going off to Hogwarts in September, was a mixture of both sides, both in looks and personality.

When he arrived at Albus's door, Harry pushed it open silently. Albus was sitting cross legged on the floor, a big book in his lap, reading under his breath. Harry crept in quietly behind him, lowered himself to his height and, very quietly, said: 'Boo.'

Albus started, looked around quickly and laughed when he saw his Dad. 'Hey Dad!' he said, and returned to his book. Too used to this behavior to be offended, Harry settled down next to him and watched him for awhile.

Albus was reading with intense concentration, muttering charms and enchantments that he would probably learn in his first year, every once in awhile folding down the corner of a page on a particularly interesting charm. Once or twice when he muttered more loudly than before, an object in the room would twitch or move.

About 15 minutes later, he seemed to acknowledge his father's presence and turned around with a longing expression on his face.  
'What's wrong?' asked Harry, concerned at this sudden change of attitude.

'It's just… I'd like a wand so much!' Albus said sadly.

'But you know, even if you did have a wand, you couldn't use it at all since you're underage!' Harry said. 'And believe me, having a wand and not being able to use it is much worst than not having one at all. And besides, in about a year you'll have your own wand and you'll be able to use it all year long at Hogwarts!'

'Yeah… I guess.' Albus said, obviously not convinced. 'But I still wish I could go to Hogwarts this year with James. And he doesn't really help by rubbing it in all the time either.'

Harry laughed. 'Well that, my friend, is part of the package when you have brothers. You can ask Mum, she knows all about it. Anyway, I think I have something that could cheer you up a bit…' Harry said mysteriously.

Albus looked doubtful, but nevertheless said 'What?'

'A special parcel I picked up at uncle George's this morning.' Harry said innocently, and watched Albus's face brighten at once, almost as if a light bulb had been turned on. Albus leapt to his feet and sprinted downstairs.

'What about your book?' Harry called after him jokingly.

'I think I'm finished for today!' Albus called back, already downstairs. 

Harry chuckled. He had come to learn that no matter how serious and mature Albus could be at times, a paper bag full of sweets (especially if they were from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes) always had the same effect on kids.

Downstairs, two impatient faces were waiting for him, and one (James's) pretending it was too old to care about such small things as sweets. Albus had obviously wasted no time in telling the others about the candy.

Harry headed for the kitchen, from which delicious odors were wafting. Ginny was making dinner inside, and everything was moving. A knife was chopping potatoes in midair, while the already thin slices were floating to the frying pan, where a spatula turned them over every once in awhile.  
At the same time, a broom was rounding up the potato peels, a pair of plastic gloves throwing them into the trashcan, which was belching loudly. It was really a sight. In the middle of all this, Ginny was standing by the stove, humming to herself and stirring a thick soup in a pot with her wand.

She looked around when Harry entered and said 'can you guess what it is?' 

Harry came closer, and took an exaggerated sniff.

Onions.

'Molly Weasley's Famous Onion Soup!' Harry said, grinning.

'I am honored to announce that I have finally been trusted with this precious recipe.' Ginny said in a pompous voice, which quite resembled Ernie McMillan's, and gave a little bow. 'I have been waiting for this my whole life, as I am sure you know.' She added jokingly.

Impatient, hushed voices were coming from the sitting room and a distinct whisper was heard, saying 'What do you think Dad's doing?'

Harry called back loudly: '_Dad _is wondering whether he should go ahead and give you the candy or let you wait a bit, since it's so nice to have some quiet!'

He and Ginny grinned at each other. They both knew very well that they couldn't stand more than an hour or two without the usual young babble.

'Oh, common Dad! Please!' James and Albus shouted together.

'Pleeaasssee!!' Lily piped up.

'Well… okay then…' Harry sighed loudly.

Harry went to get his cloak from the coat hanger, which tried to wrestle it from him, protesting that it had not finished cleaning it in a voice quite like Molly Weasley's.

Extracting (finally) three bulging purple paper bags from his pocket, he went to the sitting room which Ginny had now joined, and was now playing with their kitten, one of Crookshanks's descendants which they had named Padfoot.

James, Albus and Lily fell silent as soon as Harry entered, and he laughed aloud at their obvious impatience.

He handed them each a paper bag, which they proceeded to tear open, laughing and shouting happily, and with good reason.

Harry had gotten them each 3 Super Long-Lasting Sugar quills, a pack of the usual chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans (which now belonged to the Weasleys, who had developed a few more rather interesting flavors), and a personalized bag for each one.  
For James, a box of Super Sweet Suckable Snitches, who flew around in your stomach until you managed to poke them.  
For Albus, a bag of Jelly Bookworms, which you could either eat or stick onto your book, upon which they immediately started reading it aloud, or both.  
He had also gotten Lily a Deluxe Princess Accessories Kit, ('Usable and Eatable!') including a singing tiara and a pink plastic wand that sent pink and gold sparks. 

They made so much noise that Harry put his hands over his ears and cried 'I should have gotten you all Tongue-Tying Toffees instead of all this!' , upon which James and Albus hurled themselves at him for a wrestling match. 


	2. Chapter 1: June: The Surprise

**A/N:** Well folks, here is _finally _the second chapter of The Later Years. Believe me, it wouldn't have taken so long if it was entirely up to me. But, seeing as I have many many events going on lately - what with the loss of a few folio pages of writing for this chapter - this was immensly delayed. But all's well that ends well, and I've finally finished :D WOOT!

Anyway, this is a typical, light chapter in the mood of this fic which I hope you like. Suggestions and comments are very welcome, even if it's just a word or two.

A huge thanks to the 15 people who reviewed, and all the others who put the story on alert! I live for your reviews... (well, almost).

I assure you that the next chapter will come sooner :) For any of you who are interested, deadlines I have set myself for the next chapters (not only for this fic) can be found on my profile page.

Sorry for the long A/N. Without further ado, Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: **

_Albus was walking along a thin path, which was swirling and turning ahead of him, tall prairie grass all around. He could hear pleasant twitters of birds, and a distant sound of running water. A bag of books was slung carelessly over his shoulder, his wand held loosely in his hand. The scene changed. Ahead of him, a huge castle loomed suddenly into view, its many turrets mounting high above the tallest tree tops, its windows reflecting the bright mid-afternoon sun. At every step he took towards Hogwarts, more people could be seen, and many of them smiled and waved at Albus, who they obviously knew. Heading for the lake, Albus took from his bag a heavy book which he had been looking forward to reading. He made his way to the giant beech tree on the edge of the lake and sat down, opening his book---_

BANG!

Albus woke up suddenly, thrown back brusquely to reality by the loud noise. He wondered what had woken him up.

It appeared upon closer (or not so close) inspection, that James had burst into Albus's room with his usual gentleness, yelling 'Good morning sleepyhead!'

'Mmm…' Albus muttered sleepily, pulling his blanket higher up and turning towards the wall.

'Common Al', geddup!' James shouted, yanking the cover off and jumping on Albus's bed.

'JMZ! Lemme _sleep_!!' Albus said grumpily, slamming his pillow onto his face and burying himself deeper in the bed, trying hopelessly to get back to sleep.

'No, come on Al' I mean it! There's something I really want to show you!'

'Wazzit?'

'I think it might be one of those Grindydogs you were on about the other day!'

'Grindylow.' Albus corrected automatically, sitting up at the word, his interest in all magical things getting the better of his want for sleep.

'What do you mean a Grindylow? They live underwater!' he said, frowning.

'Yeah but I think it might have been washed up to the shore of the lake behind our house during the storm! Hurry up!' James implored impatiently. 'It looks hurt, it's barely breathing!!!'

Albus, all signs of sleepiness gone in face of this emergency, pulled on his boots and raced downstairs after James.

'What time is it anyway?' he asked, panting, as they sped through the living room.

'Around 11… you overslept!' James called.

Albus sighed. Once again he had stayed up late, reading, and he hadn't fallen asleep until after 2 o'clock

He followed James into the yard at a run and shouted 'So where's the Grindylow?!'

'Right over here, come quick!' James yelled. He had already turned at the corner of the house and Albus couldn't see him. Gasping for breath, he edged across the lawn—

'SUPRISE!!!'

Albus jumped about a foot in the air, startled. All his friends and relatives were standing around him, throwing confetti, holding colorful magic sparklers and grinning broadly.

He had forgotten his own birthday!!

He grinned and looked around. Ron, Hermione and their kids Rose and Hugo were there, as they were at every birthday. Mom and Dad were there of course, and so was Lily. James, looking very pleased with himself, was standing breathlessly in the middle of the group. Uncle George was there too, with his wife Alicia and their twins Samantha and Timothy; Percy and Penelope with little Fred were present as well, same as Bill and Fleur with Victoire and Lorien; Charlie, with his wife Joy and their children Demi, Phil and Lilac; Teddy Lupin, standing very close to Victoire; and lastly Granddad and Grandma Weasley, presiding the lot of many red-heads and smiling fondly at him.

Feeling happy but still shaking a bit from the fright, Albus proceeded to greet everyone, making his way around the patio to distribute and receive hugs.

There was a mounting wave of chatter as the guests, released from the "tension" of the pre-surprise, started catching up with each other's latest news and achievements.

Albus had just started talking to Sam and Tim, who were telling him about their new pet, a cat of a rare metamorphagi race that they had named Season, when Ginny clapped her hands a few times and called loudly over the ruckus: 'What do you say we move inside everyone? It looks like it's going to rain!'

Albus looked up at the sky as the commotion began to move inside. The sky had indeed become a thick pearly grey with solid grey clouds hanging low above them, and the air sported the heavy scent of before a drizzle.

As he followed everyone inside, Rose came up to him and engaged him in eager conversation after wishing him a Happy Birthday.

'So, only one more year for us 'till we enter Hogwarts!' she said excitedly.

'Yeah,' Albus agreed, 'to tell you the truth, I can't wait! I wish we could start this year... lucky James,' he said, glancing jealously at his brother who stood not far away.

'I know,' Rose answered wistfully, 'so do I. Oh well!' she said, brightening up all of a sudden, 'at least we get to go to the platform on September 1st and see them off!'

Albus perked up too. 'I hadn't thought of that!' he said eagerly. 'And we get to see the Hogwarts Express and everything!'

'Uh-uh!' Rose said, beaming. 'It'll be almost as if we were going too!'

Albus sobered up. 'Almost…'

'Cheer up!' Rose implored impatiently. 'It's your birthday after all! Hey, speaking of which, I didn't know what to get you, but I remembered that there was this book you wanted, so I thought I'd ask you exactly which one and get Dad to get it for me when he goes to work!'

'You don't have to-' Albus started, but Rose cut him off with a very Hermione-ish glare.

'I want to,' she said stubbornly. 'You got me that really cool Magic Drawing Pad that I wanted for my birthday last year, and I've been saving up for your birthday present since. And I mean to get you that book.'

Albus grinned at his closest cousin. 'Thanks,' he said.

Meanwhile, James was bombarding Teddy and Victoire - who, being respectively in their 7th and 6th year at Hogwarts, were considered extremely well informed among the younger kids - with questions on everything Hogwarts-related, from detentions to Professors to Peeves and the Giant Squid; he had to know everything. Teddy and Victoire, laughing, answered his questions as best as they could.

'So remind me again what's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's name?' James was asking Teddy.

'Professor Gatehorn. Strict, middle-aged--'

'--witch, but she's fair and experienced,' James recited. 'Ok then. So we don't have to know anything from the text books on the first week right?'

'No. Except the little book-worms who can't help themselves,' Victoire answered, 'everyone know as much - or as little - as you do. Some kids know even less since they don't come from wizarding families. Oh, remember to watch out for Mrs. Norris. With your genes, you're bound to try some adventurous little trick. Just try not to get yourself in detention on your first week ok?'

James grinned. 'We'll see about that. Although I don't think I can resist to give that nasty old cat a good kick on the first opportunity.'

Teddy gave a short laugh. 'You do that, you get yourself not a week, but a whole term of detentions with Filch. Plus, he'll remember you and torment you for the rest of your Hogwarts-days. Believe me, many have tried to get away with kicking that immortal old cat and none have succeeded.'

Albus and Rose in the meantime, had slid to the subject of the houses.

'What house do you think you'll be in?' Albus was asking Rose.

'Probably Gryffindor,' Rose answered pensively. 'Both my parents were there after all.'

'I don't think that matters so much you know,' Albus said doubtfully. 'I remember Dad told me that there were twins in his year that weren't in the same house. Identical too.'

Rose looked uncertain. 'Well, if I'm not in Gryffindor, most chances are I'll be put in Ravenclaw. I'm always told that I think like my mum, and she told me that the Sorting Hat seriously considered putting her there.'

'Hm…from what I've heard, I do think Ravenclaw would suit you. Maybe we'll both end up there,' Albus said, laughing. 'The truth is, I don't especially care if I'm not in Gryffindor, as long as I'm not in Slytherin,' he said with a small shudder.

'Yeah,' Rose said with a morose look. 'Imagine being put in a house from which so many Dark Wizards have come…'

Albus nodded. 'Although, I don't think I'd be very pleased if I ended up in Hufflepuff either,' he said. 'It's not nearly as bad as Slytherin, but I heard that the people in there are the people who the Sorting Hat doesn't know where to place. Meaning they're neither brave and intelligent nor ambitious and cunning.'

Rose looked skeptic this time. 'I don't know. I've heard that Huffelpuffs are hard working and always lend a hand, and that they're actually much underestimated. I think that it might be just because they don't have a blatantly obvious quality that people assume that they're just the "leftovers".'

Albus shrugged. 'I don't know. Maybe you're right. But anyway, I'd still rather be in Gryffindor.'

Rose grinned. 'Dad is always saying that he'll disinherit us if we're not in Gryffindor. And then Mom gives him "the look", and he adds 'I'm joking, I'm joking.''

Albus laughed, but just at that moment the lights went out. There were a few squeals from the younger girls, but as he looked around, Albus noticed that the room was beautifully decorated with festive ornaments of Ginny's making that had not been visible when the room had been lighted.

There were a few gigantic banners on the walls, emitting a soft light, and written on them in colorful, glittering letters was the inscription "Happy 10th Birthday Albus!". There were also several balloons bobbing up and down on the ceiling, a number of luminous garlands strung across the furniture, and even a couple of intricately designed candles made of a special kind of wax that swirled and glittered endlessly. All in all, the room had such an enchanting and mystical impression that Lily, who had just snuck back into the room with Hugo after having disappeared in the first five minutes - probably to search for some little-known creature - gave an audible 'wow' as she entered the sitting room.

All of a sudden, Albus saw a larger light appear on the far side of the room. Into view came an enormous Birthday Cake, shaped like a giant book. There came quite a few 'yum's as everyone saw what it was made of: The inside of the book was made of a warm chocolate fudge cake, the pages iced in white icing, and the cover made of chocolate icing with Butterscotch writing saying "Happy Birthday Albus". It was obviously one of Mrs. Weasley's famous cakes. Then Harry, who was carrying the cake, came into view. He smiled widely at Albus while putting the cake on the table in the center of the room. Some of the younger children huddled around the cake, trying to spot if a bit of the cake had fallen off and could be quietly smuggled off. Suddenly, Uncle George's voice boomed, leading everyone into a series of Birthday songs, the first of which was an old wizarding classic called "Squibbity-sqwak on your special day" that everyone joined in to happily.

_"'Ho-ho-ho,'_

_The garden gnomes all go!_

_For 'it's your special day,' they say_

_While by the bush they dance and sway._

_'Hoot-hoot-hoot,'_

_The snowy owls root,_

_'for it's your birthday - yes siree!_

_So be as wise as you can possibly be!'_

_And all together they will sing_

_In marching bands, through fire rings:_

_' 'tis your special day today,_

_So all will gather - no delay!_

_To watch you grow_

_As the years by flow_

_And help you through_

_if you are blue!'_

_'Qwak-qwak-qwak,'_

_The Hippogriffs will swak,_

_'May you be proud - but not too loud!- _

_As year by year pass on a cloud!'_

_And all together they will sing_

_In marching bands, through fire rings:_

_'So our dear friend,_

_Our hand we'll lend!_

_If ever you're in need;_

_And on this special day we say:_

_May you have a Happy Birthday!'"_

The song ended in a chorus of cheers and applause, for it was a joyful and gay tune that was very popular among wizarding birthdays. They then sung a few more Birthday songs, until Lilac and Lorien appeared at Albus's side, each bearing a parcel wrapped in colorful wrapping paper.

'Al', Al'!' Lilac piped up shrilly. 'Open up my present first!'

Albus laughed and took the gift as the singing died away into chatter and laughter. It weighed light in his hand and seemed to be a garment. He tore the wrapping paper off patiently and let out a short laugh as out came a soft black Hogwarts scarf embalmed with the coat of arms and houses of Hogwarts.

Phil laughed. 'Demi and I got it for you from Hogsmeade… we didn't think you could stand another year without something from Hogwarts.' He grinned teasingly. 'Besides, they started selling some outside school uniforms too.'

Albus grinned and thanked Phil, Demi and Lilac with a hug.

Now Lorien pushed her way forward and handed Albus her parcel solemnly, her long silvery-blond hair surrounding her small and serious face.

Albus took the parcel, which felt heavy and familiar to him. He opened it and saw the corner of a large leather-bound book. He ripped off the rest eagerly, and in his hand stood a big royal-blue covered book with the title "Curse-Breaking for Beginners" inscribed in gold letters on it's cover.

Albus gave a shout of joy and almost jumped on Uncle Bill's neck, so grateful was he.

Bill laughed and ruffled Albus's hair. 'You're welcome, kiddo,' he said, grinning. 'Thought you'd like it, what with you asking me a hundred questions every time I see you. This book might give you even better answers than me.'

Next came Sam and Tim with a large square box in the Weasley Wizard's Wheezes packaging. In it Albus discovered an assortment of the store's best sweets, games and pranks that made all the kids 'Ooh' and 'Aah'.

After thanking Uncle George and the others profusely, Albus received another series of presents which were all better than the other and largely beat the record of the most birthday presents he had ever gotten. A boxed set of "Wizarding Lexicons" from Percy and Penelope with thousands of descriptions on everything from wand-wood to dragon-claws; the ever-lasting thick woolen jumper with a large green A on it from Mr. & Mrs. Weasley with an assortment of home-made pies and sweets; a large box of sugar-free treats and a book on Muggle dentistry with an apology card from Mr. and Mrs. Granger, (who were unfortunately on a vacation in Spain) with whom Albus had always gotten on very well, being interested in the Muggle world too; a funny moving cartoon book from Teddy with a jokingly added string from the carpet of the Gryffindor common room; from Victoire, her safely kept notes from first-year Charms lessons that she had promised Albus and a bag of his favorite sweets. From Ron and Hermione, a beautiful wooden chest set of Ron's that Albus had always admired and 2 books on transfiguration and magical creatures that he had spotted a while ago. Hugo presented him with a personally decorated, moving black and white photograph of Albus, James, Rose and Hugo taken on last Christmas. James - who debated on whether Albus's love for books or his indifference for Quidditch would win - had gotten him the new edition of "Quidditch through the Ages" and lastly, in a black velvet case carefully carried and wrapped, the violin that Albus had wanted for so long, offered to him by Harry and Ginny.

Albus almost cried with joy as he opened the case, revealing a stunning, highly polished wooden violin. He thanked his parents a million times, running from them to the violin in ecstasy. He had gotten involved in music a little more than a year ago, and since then had hoped for an instrument on which he could learn, although his secret yearning was for a violin, an instrument he adored.

After thanking everyone again, Albus with the help of his cousins placed all the presents in a corner of the room and they all settled down to eat the delicious birthday cake - much to the relief of the sweet-tooth inclined children.

That night, after everyone had gone home, Albus climbed into bed, feeling exhausted from the tiring afternoon of playing but immensely happy about his 10th birthday celebration.

Turning toward the wall where all his presents were piled up, he spotted his beloved books and fell into a sweet slumber full of wonderful dreams.

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**A/N:** Well, here was chapter 2! Hope you guys enjoyed it :). Reviews are the only payment fanfic authors receive, so even if it's just a word or two, leaving a review lets me know you've passed this way. I'd appreciate it :)

p.s. - what do you think of the song?? I had a lot of fun making it up :D


	3. Chapter 2: July: Quidditch and pancakes

**A/N:** _Hello again! Here is chapter 3 of this fic! I had a lot of fun writing it, although I'm not quite sure about the ending._

_Little surprise: I really felt like drawing the Potter's household to make the placement of things clearer for me, so I used 'paint' to draw it out :)_

_Anyway, yay photobucket, and you guys can check it out on this link: (take out the spaces)_

_ht tp/ s270.photobucket. com/albums/jj86/ jujurapo/?action view¤t ThePotterHousehold.jpg_

_Maybe it'll help figuring out where things happened for you guys too :D and if not, then it's just for me! :P_

_Lastly, sorry for the long wait!_

_And a humongous thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing 'till now, it means a lot :)_

* * *

'Muuummm!' came Lily's shrill voice from upstairs.

Ginny sighed, stopping in the process of mixing the pancake dough. 'James! Stop picking on your sister!' She yelled automatically.

'I'm not doing anything!' James called loudly in response, he too upstairs.

A second later there came a scream from Lily. 'Don't touch my diary, _you idiot_!!'

'James!' Harry shouted in a warning tone, coming into the kitchen and placing a kiss on Ginny's head on that quiet, calm Saturday morning.

'What?!' James bellowed back. 'I'm not doing anything! It's not _my_ fault she's such a blubbering little baby…'

There was a screech of frustration from Lily, followed by a crashing noise and a scream, 'I am _not_ a baby!!'

Ginny shook her head. 'Reminds me of the old days, when Fred and George used to read out pieces of my diary - where I had written about your beautiful green eyes,' she said, grinning at Harry and resting her head back against his chest for a moment.

Harry laughed, encircling her waist with his arms. 'Remember that Valentine you sent me in your first year? I had nightmares about that dwarf for a month,' he joked.

Just then there was the sound of footsteps and Albus appeared in the doorway, rubbing his bleary eyes and wearing pajamas. He took a seat heavily by the table.

'Morning' sweetie,' Ginny said, walking by and ruffling his hair.

'Yes, morning indeed,' Albus said with a sigh. 'How wonderful it is to wake up to the melodic chatter of birds on this sunny morning,' he said morosely.

Harry chuckled and kissed him on the forehead. 'Sleep well?' he asked Albus, heading to the stove to relay Ginny from the pancake-making.

'Hmph,' Albus answered grumpily. 'Quite well. That is, until Lily took to throwing around heavy, solid objects _meant _to hit James; and her eight year old aim being what it is - or, James position being what is was - of course they_ had_ to hit my bedroom door. Obviously they'd gotten tired of bellowing at each other right in front of my bedroom, and felt that crashing noises would be a lot funner.'

Ginny sat down at the table and gave him a smile. 'Well, excuse us for not having three perfect children like you, ma' dear,' she said with a grin.

Albus rolled his eyes, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. 'Yeah. You could have at least _tried_ harder you know.'

Harry laughed, turning towards the gleaming screen door that was letting in the mid-morning sunlight with a reminiscent expression. 'I think it's quite balanced really… we have the bookworm,' he nodded towards Albus, who shrugged his shoulders dejectedly; 'the Quidditch freak,' Harry jerked his head in the direction of upstairs, 'and the hyper-active explorer.'

A silence filled the kitchen quite brusquely, and as the Potters' ears had become accustomed to the high level of noise, it seemed quite sudden and ringing.

'Phew,' Ginny sighed.

Harry nodded. 'I don't think I've really ever appreciated the silence before…'

'Don't be so relieved. I'm not sure it's a good sign,' Albus said with an ominous look upwards.

Indeed, a moment later there came a loud, piercing scream from upstairs that seemed to reverberate throughout the house, followed closely by a hammering of feet on the staircase. A split-second later Lily, followed by a flaming mane of red hair, barged into the kitchen with a squeal and ran head first for Ginny. Before they could say 'Quidditch,' James had burst into the kitchen too, letting out a piercing war-cry and brandishing a plastic toy hammer over his head like an axe.

'MUUUM!' Lily screamed, frantically trying to hide herself behind Ginny as James circled them loudly.

'James Sirius Potter!' Ginny shouted. 'You stop this racket this instant!'

James halted in his steps abruptly; the hammer still perched over his head, his mouth in a comical, pre-war-cry 'o'. He regained his composure, closed his mouth and glared at Lily, his hand dropping to his side with the hammer still clutched in it. 'Scardy cat!' He called, making a face.

Albus 'hmph'd again. 'Honestly. How old _are_ you?'

James stuck his tongue out at him and marched out of the kitchen with a smirk. Only then did Lily come out from behind Ginny, a scowl on her freckled face. Before any of them had the time to move, there was a swish of wind and James had run back into the kitchen, slammed the hammer on Lily's head with a resounding 'bang' and run back out of the kitchen with a cry of victory.

There were a few seconds of complete silence, and then Harry burst into laughter. Lily was standing rooted to the spot, apparently torn between tears and laughter. At last, her good-nature seemed to win and she cracked a grin, sitting down at the table with the others.

Ginny, meanwhile, gave a dismal sigh, plopping down on a chair and starting on a mound of pancakes. 'That boy has enough mischief and energy in him for the whole of Hogwarts. I wonder how they'll manage him.'

Harry laughed, swallowing a huge chunk of food. 'If they managed the whole Weasley clan, they can manage anything.'

Ginny smiled. 'Guess that's true.'

* * *

An hour later, a vibrant Quidditch match was going on in the Potters' backyard. The teams were quite fairly paired: Harry - who had kept all his infamous skill, apart from being a little less swift, was paired with Albus - who was a decent player - and Lily, who, in spite of her young age, was showing striking tactics and skill; while Ginny - having, like Harry, well preserved her Quidditch abilities, was paired with James - who had inherited both of his parents' speed and skill, and Thomas - a friend of James' who was reasonably good.

Currently, the score was 30 points for "The Bolts" - also known as Ginny, James and Thomas, while "The Thestrals" - Harry, Albus and Lily, were behind with only 10 points.

'Mum! Over here!' James was yelling, trying to gain Ginny's attention as she dodged Harry, Quaffle under her arm, and shot for the goalposts which Albus was blocking. Ginny looked around, and seeing that James was now being blocked by Lily, continued to fly for her aim, faking left and finally hurling the Quaffle at the right hoop, which Albus managed to block with the tip of his fingers.

'Woohoo!' Harry cheered, punching his fist in the air.

Ginny rolled her eyes. 'We're gonna kick your as-er, buttocks Potter!' She shouted, causing James to burst out laughing and by this miss Lily, who had just shot past him with her newly-gained Quaffle and was now aiming for the opposite hoops that were being guarded by Thomas.

Harry swerved past Ginny with a gust of wind and overtook Lily, who threw him the Quaffle neatly. He had to take a sharp turn left as James cut his path, and did an old move called 'the sloth-grip roll' to regain his position in front of the hoops. Harry paid no heed to the 'show-off!' call from James and threw the Quaffle past Thomas's outstretched arms through the middle hoop.

'Uh uh, uh uh!' Lily sang, doing a little twirl of victory in the air and highfiving Harry. Albus grinned from the other end of the pitch, immediately returning his attention to the game as Thomas, having retrieved the Quaffle, threw it to a determined-looking Ginny, who flew past the still hovering Harry and Lily and threw the ball in a forceful, arch-like fling to James, who was standing positioned at the other end of the pitch not far from the goalposts.

Harry and Lily jerked back to the game and flew in opposite directions, one heading for defense in front of the hoops and the other speeding under Ginny to prevent her from nearing the goalposts.

'Mum! Catch!' James bellowed, tossing the Quaffle to Ginny as she neared the goalposts. A second after she had caught the ball, Harry appeared out of nowhere in front of her with a wicked grin and managed to grab the ball out of her hands, the effect of surprise playing to his advantage.

Cussing herself, Ginny swerved right to block Harry's way, intent on obtaining the Quaffle. She needn't have worried. James, seeing what had occurred, had flown towards them at top speed, coming from behind Harry and smacking the Quaffle out of the curve of his arm. Grinning, he aimed for the goalposts. He hesitated for a second, not sure for what hoop to aim, and that second cost him his chance. With a high-pitched cry, Lily hit him with full force, having sped towards him purposefully and taken them all by surprise. With a smirk at her brother, she caught the discarded Quaffle and dived for the opposite end with vigor.

Ginny, suppressing a grin, sped past James on Lily's tail, but her daughter gained distance quickly, no doubt because of her light weight. James cried out a warning for Thomas, who had been dreamily observing a far-off garden-gnome and turned around quickly at the call, hovering in front of the center hoop. Lily stuck out her tongue, furrowing her small brow in concentration as she decided for which hoop to aim. Feeling the cool wind on her face, she had a sudden gut-feeling that Thomas would expect her to head for the right hoop, the one she was closest to, and at the last moment she hurled the Quaffle decisively in an arch over Thomas's head and into the left hoop.

Harry and Albus gave whoops of joy as Thomas skulked downwards to recover the Quaffle and Lily, bulging out her chest and looking proud, did a lap of honor around the pitch with an expression fitting of a trophy-winning player. Harry and Ginny exchanged amused and affectionate glances at this, changing them immediately to mock-frowns and turning back towards their teammates.

A few minutes of diving and ducking later, James was positioned in front of "The Thestrals"'s goalposts, his way clear. He frowned in concentration and finally did a sort of figure-eight in the air, managing to confuse Albus, who flew right just as James came out of his loop, hurling the Quaffle at the left goalpost - left uncovered- and scoring 10 points for his team, bringing them out of the tie.

With a grin, James flew towards the center of the pitch to a round of applause from Thomas and Ginny.

The game went on for another good half an hour, the goal consisting of being the first team to reach 80 points - seeing as there was no Snitch.

The Bolts managed to score 2 more goals - one apiece for Ginny and James - bringing the score to 60:30. After a short pep-talk, The Thestrals flew back onto the pitch with renewed vigor, scoring 2 goals in the first five minutes. A determined-looking James did a complicated feint and scored another spectacular goal, bringing the grin back on his face - that is, until Lily managed to dodge past everyone and score a second goal on her own, bringing the score to 70:60 for The Bolts.

The mounting - though nonetheless amiable - tension was almost palpable as the game went on, so close to the end as it was, and yet all doors were still open. Ginny caught the Quaffle that Lily had just dropped, passing it swiftly to James, who neared the goalposts doggedly. Aiming for the hoops, he suddenly tossed the Quaffle back to Ginny, surprising her, thought she managed to catch it all the same. She did a few circles on the spot, buying some time. At the same time Lily was being blocked by James, who was putting a lot of effort into stopping her from disturbing Ginny. If she scored, they won.

Harry, noting the danger of the situation, shot from his place at the corner of the pitch and made for Ginny. Noticing this, Ginny made up her mind speedily and hurled the Quaffle at the center hoop in an up going, wide arch that seemed destined to pass through the hoop. Its destiny changed however, when a certain black-haired boy shot from his place with acute momentum, stopping the trajectory of the devilish red ball with a well placed volley.

Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Harry cheered and flew over to thump Albus on the back for his wonderful save. Lily grinned at her brother too, giving him the thumbs up before returning back to the game.

'Common Thestrals! Show 'em what you've got!' Harry bellowed, punching his fist in the air.

'Let's enlighten them, Bolts! Show 'em who the rulers of the pitch are!' Ginny shouted in response, concealing her grin.

'You're going _down_, Weasley,' Harry muttered out of the corner of his mouth, managing to keep a straight face and flying up to bump shoulders with Ginny as they zigzagged across the pitch.

'Oh yeah Potter? We'll see who'll be laying in the hospital wing comes the end of the game…''

'What're you, Warrington?' Harry said in a mock-gruff voice as he flew off, and Ginny felt the grin slide over her face as she swerved right, positioning herself for the exchange with James.

Lily, who was now in position of the Quaffle, tossed it to Harry, who was flying alongside her. He swerved right, dodging James and throwing the Quaffle back to Lily in quick succession.

Lily, falling back a bit to allow Harry to get closer to the goalposts, went into a dive to avoid Ginny and passed the Quaffle quickly to Harry. She miscalculated the distance however, and the ball started dropping before it neared Harry. With a woosh of wind, James intercepted its path and tucked it safely under his arm, swiveling a path towards the opposite goalposts. Ginny flew up to him and he tossed her the Quaffle, but Harry intercepted it in mid-air. He sped towards the opposite goalposts like a bullet, shunning all obstacles with fascinating speed and ability and proving - once again - that he hadn't been the youngest Seeker in a century for nothing.

Doing a complicated sort of twirl and dive around the hoops, he lunged the Quaffle forcefully, and it soared through the perfect center of the middle hoop.

Lily high-fived her father with a whoop of joy, grinning broadly. Harry made a face at Ginny, who burst into laughter, shaking her head and flying towards Thomas, who threw her the Quaffle. She took both hands off her broom to catch it, whipping around quickly and going into a downwards dive to avoid Harry, coming out of her dive in a pin-sharp turn upwards when she was two feet from the grass. She hurled the Quaffle at James, who was positioned in front of the goalposts, and managed to catch the ball by speeding upwards to evade Lily.

James tossed the ball back to Ginny, who gave him a moment to position himself and then threw back the Quaffle. He caught it and with supreme precision threw the Quaffle through the right hoop, Albus having launched himself the other way a second before as James feigned left.

There was a semi-second of complete silence, and then there came the soft 'plop' of the ball hitting the grass.

'WOOHOO!' James bellowed suddenly, as Harry, Lily and Albus were still registering their defeat.

'You go James!' Ginny shouted happily, flashing a wide grin at Harry and flying over to James, ruffling his hair triumphantly.

Lily scowled for a moment, but then she caught the look on Harry's face - it was as if he was fighting laughter, arrogance, defeat and annoyance at the same time. A minute later, the look was gone from his face and Harry broke into laughter, congratulating The Bolts warmly - although somehow managing to miss Ginny, who gazed at his retreating back with a smirk that was a combination of amusement and love.

Five minutes of cheers and jokes later, a band of sweaty, dirty, grass-stained and mud-covered wizards marched into the house, exhausted but chattering happily.

'Showers, everyone!' Ginny yelled, heading to the kitchen for a glass of water.

'But Mum,' James started to protest.

'No 'but's, James,' Ginny called back over her shoulder. 'Look at the state of you kids. You're not eating lunch like that.'

James scowled and trudged upstairs, making a big deal of slamming his feet nice and loud on every step and muttering something that sounded like 'why can't she play Quidditch all the time and leave me alone' as he slammed the bathroom door.

Ginny rolled her eyes and turned to Albus and Lily, who were still laughing about the game. 'You too guys,' she said, jerking her head in the direction of upstairs. 'I want you spotless for lunch in half an hour.'

Albus started climbing the stairs without objections, but Lily made a face, glancing longingly at her insect-discovery kit that was standing just outside, obviously waiting only for her.

At a look from her mother however, she too headed up, mumbling something about the Queen coming over.

Ginny chuckled. She steppied towards Harry, who had just come back form washing his hands, and rested her head on his chest with a small sigh.

He kissed the top of her head gently. 'So… can't see a hospital bed here,' he remarked, glancing around jokingly. 'Looks like you can't keep your promises.'

Ginny laughed. 'We'll see about that.'

Harry smiled down at her after a pause. 'Good game honey.'

'Thanks,' Ginny grinned. 'You too.'

'I'm off for a shower,' Harry declared, placing a soft kiss on her lips and squeezing her arm briefly before detaching himself and heading for their bedroom.

Ginny nodded cheerfully. She went into the kitchen, humming to herself a song that Hermione had introduced to her on a sunny afternoon about 20 years ago, and which she had sung on that day - almost 18 years ago now - when Voldemort had been defeated. It had been Harry and her's song of happiness ever since.

_Little darlin', it's been a long cold lonely winter  
Little darlin', it feels like years since it's been here  
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun  
And I say it's all right _

_'Little darlin', the smiles returning to their faces  
Little darlin', it seems like years since it's been here  
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun  
And I say it's all right _

_Sun, sun, sun, here it comes  
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes  
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes  
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes  
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes _

_Little darlin', I feel the ice is slowly meltin'  
Little darlin', it seems like years since it's been clear  
Here come the sun, here comes the sun  
And I say it's all right  
Here come the sun, here comes the sun  
It's all right, **it's all right...**'_

* * *

**A/N:** Well, I do hope I did all right. I had a bit of a problem with the ending, but I was just listening to this song ('Here comes the sun' by The Beatles) and it seemed to fit perfectly for that day when Voldemort was defeated, so I adapted it. I hope it seems all right :)

Comments, con-crit or any type of review are greatly appreciated... !

* * *


End file.
